


Such Precious Memories

by neincraff



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Post-100 Year War, Post-Canon, Reunion, Zutara Week 2020, sort of an anastaisa au?, yea this is becoming an anastasia au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25601008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neincraff/pseuds/neincraff
Summary: The Fire Nation is healing, both in mind and body after one hundred years of war and tyranny.  Old rumors about a long-lost prince have resurfaced, and it's up to Katara to investigate them.My Zutara Week 2020 contribution for Reunion
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This was inspired by someone's Tumblr post (it was probably more than one person who wrote about it to be honest) who wondered what things would have been like if Ursa had taken Zuko the night she was banished and left Azula behind. I won't give any more detail than that in the initial description; I still haven't worked out the rest of the plot yet. But I banged out the first chapter and wanted to post it while it was still Zutara month, so here it is!

Katara walked her way past the leering, drunken men and the scantly dressed servers toward the bar table. She tried her best to ignore the vague stench of sweat and vomit and the seedy glances she received while doing so.

A run-down bar in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se was not where she’d envisioned herself being on the five-year anniversary of the war ending, but she didn’t have anywhere better to be. Besides, even though this location was dreadful, the end result of her being here would be fruitful. She had to keep her hopes up and try.

“Beer is two coppers, it depends on the girls.” The barkeep sauntered over and told her. “But you don’t look like you’re here for girls.”

“I’m here for Xin Wei.” She told him, pulling her hood up a little higher to avoid the glare she got from the man sitting next to her as she said the name.

“Xin Wei’s a little busy.” The barkeep snarkily responded. She put three silvers on the counter. “Xin Wei is no longer busy.” He quickly swiped the money and nodded toward the door behind the bar counter. She got up out of her seat, going around the wooden table of the bar, and followed him through the door. He led her down a dark hallway and toward the back room, guarded by two surly men.

“She’s here to see the boss. She’s got payment.” The barkeep told the two guards, and they nodded and allowed her inside.

The man she’d been looking for was sitting at a wooden desk in the small room. The smoke from his pipe permeated the air and clung to every pore of wood and every thread of carpet. She was going to have to give her travelling clothes a thorough washing later, trying her best not to gag on the noxious waft of smoke he puffed toward her as she entered the room.

“What do I owe the pleasure, young miss?” He asked in a melodic baritone. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.” She did as he instructed, sitting in the chair opposite to his at his desk. “I’m hoping you can help me find someone. I know he’s worked with you before and I need to get in contact with him.”

“For a beautiful young lady such as yourself? It shouldn’t be too difficult. Give me then name, if you would, and I’m sure we can work out a deal.”

“I’m looking for the Blue Spirit.”

The fat man paused before throwing his head backward and letting out a bellow, clutching his stomach with one hand and the pipe in the other. “That’s not how this works, girl. The Spirit isn’t under my payroll; I can’t just summon him for you.”

“Well, I have a job for him. Can you at least put my in contact with him?”

“Girl, I don’t even know who the Blue Spirit is. I have many capable men at my disposal to do whatever you’d like.”

“No.” She stayed firm. “I’m looking for the Spirit, and that’s who I want. If you won’t help me, then I’ll go ask one of the other triads. I don’t need to shell out my silvers to you if you’re not going to give me what I want.”

The boss sat forward in his chair, blowing more smoke from his pipe in her direction as he examined her. “Alright, I’ll give you a contact. He works through a man named Lee here in the lower ring. Matsu,” he snapped to one of the guards, motioning him to come over “get the lady the address to the Pao’s.” He turned back to her. “Go down there and ask the black-haired guy for pea-flower tea. You can plead your case before him; he might not take it, but you can try.”

“Thank you. You’ve been most helpful.” She spilled ten gold coins on the counter and allowed the guards to escort her out.

* * *

Pao’s Family Tea Shop was in a relatively quaint area of the lower ring. The shop itself was cute, with a small bonsai tree adjacent to the door and a brass bell that chimed when the wooden door opened. She seated herself, there were no hostesses to do it for her. The place looked deserted despite the charming outward appearance. Within a minute, a very Fire-Nation-looking man came out from the back. His brawn made him look like an earthbender, but the short black hair that touched his shoulders, pale skin, high cheekbones, and light eyes were all Fire Nation.

“Welcome to Pao’s Family Tea House.” He sounded rather bored as he flicked open the notebook in his hand to take her order. “How may I serve you?”

“Can I get a pot of pea-flower tea?” She asked sweetly, folding her hands on the table.

He glanced up at her from the little notebook and casually flicked it closed. “Thank fuck.” He mumbled to himself. “Hey, Pao,” he shouted toward the back room, “I’m taking my break. Be back in twenty.”

“Go on!” Some disembodied, warbly voice replied from the back room.

“Follow me.” She got up from her seat and followed the server out through the front door and into the adjacent alleyway. As an alleyway went it could have been more gross, but it must have been private enough for him to be willing to talk privately there.

“Who sent you?” He propped himself against the outer wall of the teashop and crossed his arms.

“Xin Wei did.”

He huffed. “You’re not their usual runner. What’s that bastard want this time?”

“Actually, I’m the one with the job. But he told me where to find you. You’re Lee, right?”

“I am. What do you want?”

“I need him to find someone. It’s very important and it can’t be openly discussed; that’s why I came to you directly.”

“Discretion is our specialty.” He gave her a smirk. “It won’t cost you extra.”

“Good. Are you sure this is a safe place to discuss this?” She looked around at the windows above and the shadows passing by on the street.

“You have a problem with our methods?”

“No, I… nevermind. I’m trying to find the prince of the Fire Nation.”

He raised both eyebrows and exhaled. “You do know the Fire Nation doesn’t have a prince, right?”

“It’s not common knowledge.” She took another glance toward the entrance to the alleyway. “General Iroh and Princess Azula claim that Ozai had son, Zuko, that neither of them had seen in years. He vanished the same time Ozai’s wife did, but no one knew what happened to either of them. Now that the war’s over, the royal family is trying to find him again.”

“That’s quite a story.” He shifted his weight. “But he can’t help you.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know what you know about the Blue Spirit, but he isn’t very cozy with the Fire Nation.”

She sighed. It was a roadblock she’d been expecting to hit. The Blue Spirit was infamous for disrupting Fire Nation communications, breaking into war prisoner camps, and other mischief. Besides Aang, he was one of the most wanted men during the war. “The royal family is prepared to offer the Blue Spirit a full pardon, as well as compensation.”

“He’s doing pretty well for himself without the royal pardon and dirty Fire Nation gold.” He retorted.

“Look, I completely understand your reasoning—”

“Then get lost.” He cut her off.

“—but the Blue Spirit helped me out during the war, and I want to try and use him again. I trust him.”

He set his jaw and squinted at her. “I recognize you.” He said slowly, giving her a once-over. “You’re the Water Tribe girl that was always trailing the Avatar.”

She closed her eyes. “Yes.” Her face was fairly well-known at this point. At first it was on wanted posters, but after the war ended, she was known for less nefarious reasons. “When the Avatar was captured by Admiral Zhao, the Spirit set him loose and helped him escape. When Princess Azula tried to capture him, the Spirit sabotaged her efforts. I’m here on behalf of the Avatar and the royal family.”

He stared at her for a long time, golden eyes boring into her as he mulled over the offer. He may not be the assassin himself, but he still looked starkly intimidating. “I’ll bring this up with him. No guarantees, but we’ll think about it.”

“Thank you. Do you want the address of where I’m staying so you can contact me?”

He briefly flashed a devious smirk again. “We’ll find you.”

* * *

She spent a week cooped up inside her apartment in the upper ring before she received any word from the Spirit or Lee. It came in the form of a note in her mailbox. It was about as curt as Lee had been with her a week prior:

_Bring compensation and a personal item used by the prince to Drunken Tigerdillo bar._

She went the same night. The royal family had given her the prince’s headpiece from when he was still small to return it to him, and she hoped it would be what they were looking for. The bar was similar to the one ran by the triad, loud and busy. She spotted Lee right by the door, and he motioned for her to sit with him in a booth.

“Good evening.” She told him, laying the crown and a bag of gold on the table.

“The Spirit isn’t much of a tracker.” He admitted, looking down at the items. “I’m putting you in touch with another contact of mine named Jun. If he’s dead or alive, she’ll be able to find him. I know it’s not what you wanted, but if you want the job done right, she’s your girl.”

“I would have rather used him but finding Zuko is my top priority. Is she ok with working for the Fire Nation?”

“She’ll take anyone’s money, as long as it’s money. She’s less secretive too, so you can go talk to her about the job.”

“Great! When can she start?”

“Anytime you’re ready for me to.” A pale woman with long black hair suddenly appeared next to them, leaning a hand on the table. “This the girl, Lee?”

“Jun, this is Katara.” He nodded toward her. “She’s the client.”

“She’s cute. I see why you’re helping her out.” The woman teased, and Lee rolled his eyes.

“If I’m not needed anymore, I’d like to go home.” He retorted to the woman. “I have to open tomorrow.”

“You’re no fun. Go on, get out of here. I’ll make sure you get your share when we’re done.”

Lee got himself out of the booth and walked out the door, and Jun sat down where he had been a minute ago.

“Lee’s a good guy.” Jun told her. “He’s grumpy, but a good guy. You brought the personal item?”

“I did.” She pointed to the golden flame crown on the table. “Both of the royals confirmed to me that this was his.”

“Good. So here’s what I do.” The woman lounged back in the seat and explained. “My shirshu, Nyla, she’s the tracker. She uses people’s scent to find them. Even if your guy is dead, she’ll find and dig up the body. She can find anyone on the planet, whether they’re on this continent or not. I charge by how much distance you make us cover to find him, and by how much of a fight he puts up when we get there.”

“I brought about a hundred gold, how far will that get me?”

“That’ll cover the Earth Kingdom.” She smiled. “If he’s not in the Earth Kingdom and we gotta travel across the ocean, we’ll work it out.”

“Sounds like a deal.”

“I can start tonight, if you’re ready.”

Katara nodded and smiled. “Let’s go.”

The shirshu was tied to a railing outside of the bar, its massive head twitching rapidly to try and absorb every scent on the street. She presented the little golden crown to its nose. It sniffed earnestly, its head thrashing around to try and pick up the scent. Once Jun was sure she had it, Katara jumped on the back and held onto the saddle.

The beast ran down alleyways and busy streets, eagerly following some invisible trail that only it could see. It didn’t look like it was heading for the outer wall; its path was somewhere within the city itself.

“Your guy isn’t very far after all.” Jun commented. “Looks like he’s pretty close. I still expect a fat paycheck for finding a missing prince, though.”

“Of course.”

The beast finally stopped at an apartment building. It looked better than some in the lower ring, but not by much. The beast tried to leap up the wall, scratching the stone on the building to try and claw its way upward.

“She’s getting twitchy; your guy is inside.” The woman told her. “I can’t bring her in there, so you’re going to have to try and flush him out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Nyla’s nose doesn’t lie.” She assured her with a wink.

It turned out that they didn’t need to flush anyone out.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Lee practically ripped the door off of its hinges as he came seething out of the building. “I thought you didn’t need me anymore tonight.”

“Lee, this is your place?” Jun seemed just as surprised as Katara was. In an instant, the shirshu turned its head around to the man, barreled toward him, and knocked him down to the ground with its massive paws. No matter how hard he tried to remove its wet nose, Nyla continued to sniff his face and chest.

“Did he touch that crown?” Jun whipped around and asked her.

“No. I didn’t even have it on me when we first met.”

“Then…” Jun trailed off as she jerked the reigns to get the shirshu off of the poor man. “I think we found your missing prince.”

* * *

“You’ve been holding out on me, Lee. I didn’t know you were royalty.”

Jun seemed to be the only one that was happy about the revelation. They’d gone back up to his meager apartment on the third floor to discuss it.

“You need to get that thing’s nose checked.” He retorted as he poured them tea from a chipped pot. “Because you’ve got the wrong person.”

“I’m not questioning your life, or anything—” Katara started.

“It sounds like you’re about to.” He cut her off.

“—but can you give us a reason why we’re wrong?”

He huffed and sat down with them at the wobbly wooden table that served as his dining area. “My mother was an Earth Kingdom refugee. My earliest memories were of us fleeing the Fire Nation. She said my father was a Fire Nation soldier; I wasn’t exactly conceived out of love.”

“But you remember fleeing the Fire Nation and coming eastward?”

“That’s what I just said.” He snapped back. “There’s thousands of other people who did the same thing.”

She nodded pensively and sipped her tea. She nearly gagged on it. It tasted burnt, but she tried not to make a face. “Did your mother ever say where you were born in the Earth Kingdom? Where you were originally from?”

“No.” He shook his head. “All I knew was we had to get to Ba Sing Se, where it was safe.”

“How old were you?”

“Nine, I think. Maybe eight.”

“So you don’t remember your childhood before nine?”

“Not really.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, that’s kinda normal though, right? No one really remembers their childhood in fine detail.”

“No, but most of remember where we grew up. You don’t remember this?” She handed him the little golden crown with the flame insignia.

“No.” He turned it over in his hand and shook his head. “I’ve never seen it before. Like I said, lived my whole life in the Earth Kingdom.”

“What about your mother? What kind of early memories do you have of your mother?”

He set the crown down and stared at his cup on the table. “I remember… we’d go and visit this pond. In a garden.”

“A turtle-duck pond?”

“Yea.” He traced his thumb along the rim of the cup, his tone softening as he recalled the fond memory. “We used to feed the turtle-ducks. We’d sit under the willow tree.”

“You’re describing the gardens at the Royal Palace. I’ve been there, too.”

He glared back up at her, his face fading back into a scowl. “There’s probably a hundred ponds with willow trees and turtle-ducks.”

“Where’s your mother?” She asked, scanning the room. “She might be able to give us some insight.”

He looked back down at his cup. “She’s dead.”

She put her hand over the hand that rested on his teacup. “I’m sorry.”

He clenched his jaw, quickly swiping his hand from underneath hers. “The Fire Nation killed her.” His voice was pure venom. “And you have the audacity to come into my home to try and convince me that I’m their long-lost prince? Get out of my house.”

“Lee…” Jun warned.

“Get out!” He shouted at her, the vein in his neck bulging as he snarled. She flinched at his sudden ferocity, and they took that as the cue to leave. There wasn’t any more discussion of payment, no discussion at all. She and Jun got out of their chairs and shuffled out the door. Jun went out before she did, walking slowly back down the squeaky wooden stairs while she lingered at the doorway.

“I thought I told you to leave.” He snapped at her.

“I know how you must feel.” Her hand unconsciously went to her neck. “The Fire Nation took my mother away from me, too. It took me years before I was able to move past it and forgive them.” She turned back to face him. “I’ll never forgive the man who killed my mother, but forgiving their nation is the first step forward to finding balance again.”

“You’re a traitor to her memory and your nation if make peace with those monsters.” 

She closed her eyes and sighed. She wasn’t going to get through to him in one night. Maybe this whole mission was a waste of time to begin with. She let him be, turning in his doorway and following Jun back outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's long past Zutara week, but I finally got around to writing a second chapter of this. I do intend on finishing it, just not with regular updates, but I have done a little more planning into how it's going to be written. Enjoy!

The waterbender wasn’t nearly this annoying during the war. He’d never had to speak to the girl before, ever behind the mask, but she’d never tried to pick apart his life and talk about his feelings. Things were simpler when he was just the Blue Spirit to her. A savior of the Avatar, a saboteur, a rogue friend. He’d even fought alongside her before, once, trying to help free earthbending POWs, although she may not have seen him when he did. He was good at not being seen.

Things were different now. The waterbender was digging up things he didn’t want to think about. She was asking too many questions. She wanted to talk about his mother. She sympathized with the Fire Nation. He hated that waterbender.

The logical thing to do to someone you hated was to kill them. Fuck the political fallout of it; none of that was his problem to deal with. There were probably a ton of people who would like to see her dead. No one would ever even trace him back to it and she’d been sticking her nose around the triads; it was easy to excuse. The Dai Li wouldn’t think twice about it once he told them that.

Killing the waterbender would get rid of all of those shitty memories that she dug back up to the surface of his mind, and the self-doubt he had about never knowing his father or his family or where he came from. He could slit her pretty neck right above that stupid necklace while she slept in her upscale apartment in the Upper Ring. There was only one problem with this genius plan.

She slept shirtless.

As soon as he ducked his head around the entrance to her bedroom, he turned it right back around. Now what? Killing someone while they’re naked is in pretty poor sport, it’s almost as bad as killing someone while they’re on the toilet. It’s even worse for women; when the Dai Li found her, they wouldn’t be kind about it. He could always leave and come back a different night, but with this late-summer heat she probably made a habit of it. Even in the cool apartment which was much more comfortable than his own in the lower ring, shutters on the windows open to let in the gentle nighttime breeze, she had to slept shirtless. She was going to tomorrow, and the night after, and the week after until she left, and by then he wouldn’t be able to whack her.

He took a second peek around, just to be sure he’d seen it right. She still hadn’t moved from her original sleeping position, face upward, a silk blanket covering her from the naval downward. He turned his head back around the doorway.

Damn her.

Maybe he didn’t need to kill her. Maybe if he just spooked her badly enough, she’d shove off and leave him alone. If he scared her and made sure she saw the mask, she’d figure he sent the Spirit after her to try and get her off the trail. It would make her realize who she’d messed with. Messing with the person who had connections to the Spirit was a bad idea on her part, but then she’d know better and look for the nonexistent prince somewhere else.

She sighed softly in her sleep, and he heard the mattress rustle as she adjusted her position. No better time like the present.

He slunk into the room, focusing all of his energy on not looking. He was trying to hard not to look, it almost wasn’t an accident when his foot stepped too hard and creaked one of the floorboards. 

Her eyes shot open. She didn’t even scream; she just bent the water out of the waterskin he didn’t know was under her pillow right at his chest. Before he could even figure it out, his torso was frozen to the opposite wall.

Damn it.

He made sure to look away when she reached for a robe to cover herself, trying to focus on freeing his shoulders instead. She quickly lit a candle and sat at the edge of the bed.

“I should have known he’d send you after me.” He still didn’t look at her as she chastised him. “I suppose I expected better of you.”

There was only one way he was getting out of the icy hold, but it was about the last thing he wanted to do.

“So, what?” She continued stomping around the room, getting up to light another candle on the wall. “You were going to kill me because he got upset? Unbelievable. After everything you and I have been through. Well, I guess we haven’t been through that much together, but I though you would at least be sympathetic.”

The candles. Those could be his chance.

She sighed and slumped her shoulders. “You’re not even going to listen, are you?” Her voice sounded so broken, not from sadness, but from severe melancholy. “That I’m starting to get used to.”

She sat down at the edge of the bed, cradling her face in her hand as she wearily rubbed her eyes. She looked exhausted, and judging by the way she spoke, not all of it can be attributed to him waking her up in the middle of the night. She pouted her lip for a minute and held her face in her hand, not looking at him.

It seemed like his plan had thoroughly failed. He didn’t spook her and now he was trapped. Now, those candles…

She snapped her head back to him, and before he knew what she was doing, the tie around the back of his head had come undone and the wooden mask fell to the floor. She didn’t even touch him, undoing it with a flick of her hand.

Her jaw fell and she gasped. “You!” She lept off the bed, starting to pace around the room again. “I can’t believe you.”

Now he was really stuck. He might be able to escape, but now she knew. 

“You asshole!” She crossed her arms as she continued to berate him. “You’re insufferable! Ugh!” She threw her hands up at the ceiling.

“Hey,” he tried to start as he looked back down at the ground, but he was rewarded with a sting across his cheek. To be fair, he deserved it.

“Sneaking into my house while I’m sleeping.” She pointed a finger at him. “You sure act like a criminal.”

“Look, I wasn’t—”

“Oh, you weren’t trying to take a peek?” He could see a vein bulging in her neck as she spat at him. “Don’t even bother trying to defend yourself.”

“I’m not going to tell you to calm down, but we both know you can’t go to the Dai Li about this.” He calmly reminded her. “So let’s just talk about it.”

“Who says I won’t call the Dai Li?!” She vaguely pointed out the window. “I will run outside and scream right now!”

“They’re still not too fond of you, or your friends, from what I’ve heard.”

She crossed her arms again, huffing when she realized he was right. She was one of the people that exposed the Dai Li during the war and they didn’t like being showed up by a fourteen-year-old waterbender, even if they were under new management now. She’d have better luck making a petition to meet with the Earth King on the matter than getting any kind of authority in Ba Sing Se to help her out.

“Alright. Fine.” She conceited venomously as she sat back down on her bed. “Let’s talk about it. Even though you didn’t want to yesterday.” She hissed ‘jerk’ again under her breath, but it was a start.

“So, first of all…” he started. “I wasn’t trying to be a creep.”

“No, but you still are.” She snapped back.

“Yea…sorry about that. I should have just left.”

She rolled her eyes and held her cheek in her hand.

“I came here because…what you said yesterday really hit close to home. It confused me and I wanted to take it out on you. So…sorry about that too.”

“Thank you for apologizing.” She said acerbically. “I’ll make sure you get a ‘not-as-big-of-a-jerk-as-you-could-have-been award’ when I get back home.”

He nodded and looked back down at the floor. “Look…uh…if you don’t want me here, then I can leave. I clearly made you very uncomfortable, which I completely understand, so if you unfreeze me…”

“Do you honestly think I’m that stupid?” She sounded tired now rather than angry.

“No.” He assured her. “If you want, I can…I’ll give you the mask. I won’t be able to sneak around without it.”

He could easily replace the mask and still go about his business, but she might think it was a part of his persona. He could always buy another one and steal his old mask back from her. That might get him into trouble again, but what he really needed was to get unfrozen, now. The mask could be a temporary casualty.

She got up to snatch the mask off of the floor, flicking her hand to unfreeze him from the wall. He made sure he could move, flexing his arms and shoulders, but he decided to stay sitting on the floor.

He figured it was as good a time as any to fess up. “I’ve always known I had a little Fire Nation in me.”

“You look like you do.” She admitted, putting the mask in her lap as she sat back down.

“Well, yea, that, and…” He held out his palm, facing it upward. He took a deep breath and created a little flame in his cupped hand. It took a lot of concentration to make just that little bit without it flaring out of control or fizzling out.

To his surprise, her face lit up with joy. “You’re a firebender!”

He put out the little flame. “It’s not something to be happy about. Mixed-race colony trash like me pray to the spirits that they don’t become firebenders. You’re a second-class citizen within second-class citizens; not Fire Nation enough to reap the benefits, but not Earth Kingdom enough for them to accept you. It’s a mark of the enemy.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” She shook her head. “Firebending doesn’t always cause destruction if you learn to use it properly.”

“How can you say that? With everything that’s happened? With what they did to your people and mine?”

“You do know that I was there when the Avatar learned firebending, right? You said it yourself; I always followed him around.”

He studied her for a moment. “And why aren’t you following him around right now?”

She looked down at the floor, biting her lower lip. “How about this? We go question for question. I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.”

“Deal, but I go first.”

She exhaled and rubbed her eyes. “We broke up.” 

That was surprising to hear. He had no idea they were even together; then again, he only dealt in gossip that was necessary for his work. The Avatar and his waterbending teacher? What a couple.

“Oh.” Was all he could manage to say. Should he say sorry? He barely knew the girl, or the Avatar. It was probably better to leave it there.

“Yea.” She let her hand fall back down into her lap, putting the mask on the bed next to her. “Why did you help us during the war?”

An easy question. “As previously stated, I don’t care for the Fire Nation. I knew the army wouldn’t take me since I was a firebender, so I picked up swords instead. It was my way of fighting back, I never expected to get famous because of it. When the Avatar came along, he gave everyone hope again. I knew he was the only way to stop the Fire Nation, so whenever our paths crossed, I did what I could.”

She nodded and gave a weak smile. “I was hoping I could meet you in person one day to properly thank you for all that you did for us. If Azula or Zhao had gotten Aang back to the Fire Nation before he became a fully realized Avatar, I think they could have ended the war.”

If any other girl who he’d seen shirtless gave him a compliment, he would have blushed. “Why is the royal family trying so hard to find a long-lost Fire Prince, anyway?”

She looked down at her hands and started picking at a loose thread on her robe. “You said you’re discrete, right?”

“Right.”

“You can’t tell anyone what I’m about to say, and I mean it.”

“I won’t.” She had no reason to trust him, but she seemed be trying to.

“Ok.” She exhaled. “Fire Lord Iroh is too old to rule for much longer and he doesn’t have any heirs. Princess Azula, by her own admittance and by her doctors, isn’t in the proper mental capacity to rule. They need to find someone who is.”

“Are you joking?” He blurted out. “You want a complete stranger to rule an entire nation, with no formal training, because the current leader is too old and the only other candidate is batshit crazy? Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?”

“She isn’t crazy.” She got on the defense. “She’s been through a lot.”

“Oh, yea, I’m sure being a princess is really hard.”

“It was. The pressure of it nearly broke her; she’s finally starting to get back to her old self.”

“Her old self took over Ba Sing Se and killed the Avatar, did you forget that?!”

“Maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words…” She sighed and looked back down at the floor. “What I meant was, she’s starting to get back on her feet again. She’s not a bad person, but she needs more time before she’s ready to take over a nation.”

“Oh, sorry.” He bit back. “I guess I was too hard on her. A bad person wouldn’t invade the Earth Kingdom, would they?”

“Believe me when I tell you that she’s changed.” She implored. “Ozai cast her out toward the end of the war; he disowned her. She’s on our side now.”

That was a shock to hear as well. “Ozai disowned her?”

She solemnly nodded. “She told him that she killed the Avatar in Ba Sing Se. When word came out that he was still alive, he burned and disowned her for treachery. I don’t think it was public knowledge outside of the Fire Nation, and besides, it was only about a month or so before the comet came. She had a mental breakdown because of it, and well… here we are.”

They both took a few minutes to let it all sink in, neither saying a word to each other. He could tell that this plan had been a longshot of hers from the beginning. The royal family was desperate and needed something in order to regain stability. Without a suitable heir, the Fire Nation would probably crumble into a war of some kind, either a civil war over who gets power or a restart of the Hundred Year War. He could see it written on her face, how desperate she was, that this insane idea based off rumors had to work.

“Was my father really Fire Lord Ozai?”

She looked back at him and nodded. “I think he was.”

He leaned his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. It was almost unbelievable, if not for the fact that his mother never spoke of his father. She never gave him a name. Did she know and didn’t want to burden him with that knowledge, or was she unaware this whole time?

“My mother’s name was Noriko.” He told her, and she giggled. “What’s so funny?”

“Was your mother an actress?” She asked, still smiling.

Confused, he corrected her. “No, she was a healer. I guess she liked the little acting troupes when they came through, though.”

She smiled again, clasping her hands and putting them beneath her chin. “It all fits. Fire Lord Ozai’s wife, Ursa, was the daughter of two herbalists who were local healers in their village. She was also an actress; her favorite play was Love Amongst Dragons. The leading lady in it was named Noriko.”

“Now that you mention it…” That play sounded familiar. He tilted his head toward her bed. “My mask. My mother picked it out for me when I was a kid at a festival; she told me it was the mask for one of the characters in that play.” Some of the appreciation for Fire Nation culture his mother made him develop was forced because of assimilation, but holding her hand as they waded through festival crowds in the eastern colonies to watch showman swallow fire and make dragons out of it was enamoring for a young child. He remembered pulling her over to the street vendors serving exotic food that burned his tongue, making his mother laugh when he made a face because of it. If he stayed out of trouble, she bought him a present there each year. He’d never heard of Earth Kingdom holidays until they arrived in Ba Sing Se, and by then he was too old to appreciate them like he did as a child.

He looked back up at her face. “How do you know all of that? About Fire Lord Ozai’s wife?”

“Iroh remembered her fondly, and tried to be kind when Ozai wasn’t. He told me everything he could remember about her, and about Zuko, before I left.”

“Just because my mother liked a play doesn’t prove anything.” He propped his knee up and laid an arm on top. “And plenty of women became healers because of the war.”

“You’re correct,” she admitted, “but there are a lot of odd coincidences about this; even you have to admit that.” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “The Fire Nation needs a strong leader after the war.”

“And you want me to do it?”

“Well, you fit the description.” She weakly motioned toward him. “Maybe you’re right and I’m completely wrong about you and this is all just a weird coincidence. The only way we can prove it is if you come back to the Fire Nation with me.”

“I have a job here, I can’t just leave.”

“Don’t worry about money; I’ll handle that.” She paused before adding, “Do you like serving tea that much that you don’t want to lose your job?”

“Not really, but Pao’s a good boss. The tea sucks, though.”

She smiled to herself and looked out the open window. “Iroh’s going to love you.”

“I never said I was going to go.” He sternly reminded her. Even if he fit the description perfectly, giving up his life and moving to the Fire Nation was not the direction he wanted to take his life.

She pursed her lips and looked back over at him. “Your grudge against the Fire Nation is completely understandable, and I know it’s hard to leave your home behind. You have a real chance here to make a difference here. You’ll be in a position of power to change all of the terrible, awful things about the Fire Nation. You can’t go back and undo the Hundred Year War, but you’ll be a big part of making the world a better place. You’ll be doing a lot more there than you would here.”

As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. His way of making a change during the war was to be a rogue; he hated sitting idle when there was something he could do. Now that the war was over, doing assassinations for the triads was becoming tiresome. When he started it, he figured that taking down anyone affiliated with them would help make the city safer. He liked the thrill of it, but in the end he was just another assassin in Ba Sing Se working for the corrupt elite. He would love to go after some of the bosses, but he wouldn’t be safe in the city anymore. Getting the Spirit in trouble meant getting Lee in trouble, and Pao didn’t hire criminals.

Getting into politics certainly wasn’t where he expected his life to go. He preferred a more direct approach to dealing with people he didn’t like, but he couldn’t be the Spirit forever. Sooner or later he was going to get hurt, or get himself killed. If the waterbender wasn’t so kind and desperate, she could have easily ended him tonight. Being a foreigner coming into the Fire Nation with no political experience and a dubious birthright certainly wasn’t safe, it was easily more dangerous than what he was already doing. He wasn’t even sure what he would do there, or if he could really help anyone. However, putting someone raised as a commoner on any throne around the world would be a big step for the people. Royals had no idea how their people struggled during or after the war, but he did. He had lost family, friends, his home; he’d gone to bed hungry; he’d been robbed, beaten, and spat on because of his mixed blood. 

He finally gave her an answer. “I’ll think about it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those stories where I'll get writer's block for three weeks, then write a chapter in a day in a fit of inspiration. Oh well. Also, my brain has decided that this is totally going to be more than 5 chapters, but probably still less than 10. Let's see if I'm right lol.

“Welcome aboard, Prince Zuko.”

Katara had instructed the crew of the ship taking them back to the Fire Nation not to be overly formal, but it seemed that they insisted on doing so anyway. The crewmembers stationed themselves on either side of the gangplank, guarding it as everyone boarded. Everyone wore full suits of armor, polished freshly that morning so the sunlight shimmered off the red metal. She didn’t dress up by any means, quietly escorting Lee through the city and down to the harbor on the far side when he had put his affairs in order and was ready to leave.

He didn’t take a lot of convincing after their talk. The thought of having a family again, albeit a crazy one, along with catered meals, fine clothes, and a beautiful apartment would appeal to any refugee. The idea of not having to stand on your feet and serve people for eight hours a day also must have struck a chord with him; they’d spoken once or twice at his job at the teashop, and every time she got the sense that he would rather be anywhere in the world then there. She wasn’t sure what finally convinced him, or if it was a combination of everything, but in a short time he packed his little belongings, gave Pao his notice and his good wishes, and gave his meager apartment to Jun to look after. The bounty hunter obliged (after the payment of the gold she’d been promised for finding the prince, of course), and sent them off without much fuss. The bristly young woman couldn’t help cracking a few jokes at their expense, including asking if she’d get more gold for ‘bringing the two lovebirds together’, so saying goodbye to her was that much easier.

Saying hello to the Fire Nation was more difficult. He had his swords and mask and she had her waterbending. They reassured one another that if anything went wrong they would fight shoulder-to-shoulder, but she knew the crew taking them well enough to know they were loyal. She wasn’t worried about them; she was worried about how their arrival in the capital would be received. She wasn’t expecting the crew of this ship to be so blatant about the situation, considering that there was likely a reason she hadn’t discovered yet as to why the son and wife of Prince Ozai went missing when Zuko was nine.

“Just Lee is fine.” The man in question annouced, awkwardly looked around at the brigade of firebenders and the captain who had welcomed him. His reticence toward this situation was completely understandable, even if he was a master swordsman with a vast experience of fighting firebenders. Even still, he nearly jumped when one of the armored men approached him.

“Allow me to carry your belongings, pr—”

She stepped between the two and gave the man a look, interrupting him long enough that he didn’t grab her companion. “We’re both very tired, and we would like to get into our rooms without a lot of pomp and circumstance, if that’s ok?”

“Of course, Lady Katara.” He nodded, and everyone allowed her to whisk away their very important person without further interruption. He slung his belongings over his shoulder and let her lead him around the ship by his elbow.

“Thanks for that.” He told her once they were alone inside the narrow corridors of the metal ship.

“I wasn’t too happy about getting on my first Fire Nation ship either. Don’t worry about it.”

“At least they listen to you.”

“They have to; they’re my crew.”

“They’re Water Tribe?”

“No,” they had found their way to the metal ladder that led up to their rooms. “They’re Fire Nation, they were given to me to see that you got back home. Follow me upward.”

He did just that, silently climbing up the ladder behind her until they reached the officer’s quarters. She stopped by the empty room on the left, the one they had prepared for him.

“This is yours.” She opened the door and let him to quickly throw his things inside. “My room is here.” She pointed to the door she had already unpacked her things in, across the hall from his. “If you need something, please knock next time.”

He nodded and looked down at the floor. “Right. Sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“It better not.” She warned, but continued on. “Mess hall is down the ladder to the right; just follow where all the people go around mealtime and you’ll find it. Lunch is in an hour, dinner is at six, and breakfast is at seven thirty. They blow a whistle when meals are served so you won’t miss them. Try and relax until them; unpack and get settled in.”

“Ok.” He rapidly nodded his head. “How long is the voyage going to be?”

“At least two weeks, up to three if the tides are against us. Have you ever been on a ship before?”

“No, why?”

“If you start to feel sick, go out to the deck. Look at the horizon and get some air; it helps. I might be able to help with it, but I’ve never tried to treat seasickness before.”

“Got it.” He nodded.

“We won’t be sitting around for two weeks, or however long it takes.” She reassured him. “There’s people here that have offered to help you learn how to firebend, if you’d like.”

“Yea, ok.” He twiddled with something in his hand. “I could see how it goes.”

“Good.” She smiled and opened the door to her room. “I’ll see you later.”

He managed to find his way to the dining hall without her help, and she kept a seat next to herself open for him to dine with her. Once they’d eaten, she politely excused herself from Lee and asked the captain if he was free to help train in the afternoon, to which he resoundingly agreed.

“It would be an honor to train the prince of my nation, Lady Katara.” The captain got up out of his seat and bowed to her.

“Thank you again.” She bowed in return. “But really, you don’t need to be so formal with us.”

“We’re a royal escort.” He argued. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“Yes, I know, but he’s been away from all of that for a very long time. I think it makes him a little uncomfortable.”

“Understood, my lady. I’ll inform my crew to…keep it casual, as you would say.”

“Treat him like me.” She said. “I don’t afford the same respect as your Fire Lord and Fire Prince, but I’m not a nobody either. I know everyone would have a problem if I told them to treat him like a commoner, so treat him like someone famous who isn’t nobility.” Technically he was famous and no one even knew, but part of the deal to get him on this ship was for her not to reveal that little secret.

“I understand your meaning.” He gave her a bow again. “See you after lunch.”

* * *

“This is Captain Jee.” She put her hand on the middle-aged man’s shoulder once the three of them were on deck. “He’s going to be instructing you through some firebending forms. I’m going to sit on the sidelines in case of an emergency, so I’ll over there.” She nodded her head toward the little seat set up near the starboard side, and let the captain introduce himself.

“Good afternoon.” The captain bowed to Lee. “I’m no master, but I can walk you through the basics. Katara’s a healer and she can put out any stray fires, so don’t worry about that. She tells me you can make fire?”

“I can,” he admitted, “and I know it relies on breathing, but I don’t really know to control it properly. Its either barely enough to light a candle or it burns a whole building down.”

“Then that’s what we’ll work on first. It can be a little frustrating to get it right, but you’ll want to get the essentials down before I teach you any footwork.”

The two worked all afternoon and into the evening, finally taking a break for dinner. She busied herself with manipulating a little bowl of water, forming spirals and shapes out of it to practice in her boredom. After hours of breathing techniques, stretches, and meditating, she could see Lee’s patience waning once they finally stopped for the day. He complained to her just as much at dinner, asking why he needs to become a monk to firebend.

“I don’t know.” She told him honestly. “But I know my master always berates me for not meditating more, so it’s good if you get in the habit of it.”

“It’s ridiculous.” He angrily picked up another mouthful of food, talking to her between bites. “How am I gonna become a decent firebender if he’s not even letting me use fire and I sit around for hours thinking about my place in the universe?”

“As someone who’s lived and trained with a monk, what he’s making you go through is far from the real deal. Also, you should chew with your mouth closed, it’s not very royal of you.”

He scowled but did as he was told and swallowed before speaking again. “That’s another thing. How are you planning on convincing everyone that I’m a Fire Prince when I can’t even firebend?”

“You’ll get the bending down, it just takes time. I’m more concerned with your manners than anything else.”

“My manners are fine.” He snapped back.

“Are they? Look at the way you’re sitting.” She gestured to his posture with the end of her chopsticks. “You’re slouching, your elbows are on the table, not holding your chopsticks right—”

“What would you know?!” He stood up from the bench and practically shouted to her, making everyone in the dining hall turn around and look at him. She saw his pale face flush in the realization he was being judged, and he quickly gathered up his bowl, threw it in the bin to be cleaned by the kitchen staff, and stormed out.

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics but didn’t follow, not immediately. She knew that this was a big change for him, and that he needed time to adjust. However, she also knew that she was probably the only person on this ship that he somewhat trusted, and that she was going to have to be the one to deal with his temper tantrums. She gave him a few hours to cool off and think before going on a little search for him. He wasn’t in his room, so she headed on deck and found a silhouette standing by the railing, looking out over the midnight water.

“I figured I’d find you sulking out here.” She quipped loud enough to cut through the sound of waves and wind. He made a motion to leave his little spot, so she spoke up again. “Hey, wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t track you down to make fun of you, I wanted to see how you were holding up.”

He stayed put but stayed silent for a long time as he watched the wind push the waves around. She walked over and stood next to him. “You see how big the moon is?” She pointed to it, leaning her arm over the railing. “During the war, a friend of mine gave herself to the moon spirit. A firebender hurt the moon spirit, but it had given my friend a blessing when she was a baby. When the moon spirit got hurt, she gave her life to it so that we could have the moon back. When the moon gets big like that, waterbenders call it a supermoon. Someone noticed that we’ve had more of them since she sacrificed herself and that it might be her way of feeling closer to the people she left behind, so we started calling them Yue’s moon.”

“Doesn’t Yue mean moon?” He flatly pointed out, not taking his eyes off of it.

“It does.” She leaned her elbows against the cold metal railing. “I guess it’s a bit redundant, but I think it’s nice.”

He shifted on his feet and scratched his nose. “Are you going to give me some speech about sacrifice, now? Because I’m really not in the mood after mediating all afternoon.”

Wow, Iroh is going to love him. “No, I just thought a story might get your mind off of things.”

“I didn’t know firebending can hurt spirits?” He looked down at his hand to examine it.

“The moon and ocean spirits chose to become mortal millennia ago, back when spirits and humans lived in the same world together. Any element or weapon could have hurt them, it just happened to be a firebender that did it.”

“What happened to him?”

“I don’t know.” She admitted, looking back out at the ocean. “The Avatar told me he was taken into the Spirit World by the ocean spirit, but he didn’t say how or where.”

They both slipped back into silence as they watched the slow rise of the moon and the sea flowing around them.

“Why did you come out here?” He asked quietly. “It wasn’t just to tell me a story.”

“I could ask you the same question.” She replied. “You have a lot of things to be frustrated and angry about; which one made you snap, or was it all of them at once?”

“I don’t know.” He looked down at the railing. “I probably shouldn’t have snapped at you, though. You were just trying to help.”

“I shouldn’t have acted like an overbearing mother.” She shrugged, twisting her fingers together. “It’s a pretty common complaint that I get.”

“You weren’t that bad.” He quietly admitted, throwing her a sideways glance.

“I grew up with a disgusting older brother and no mom. I was the one that thrashed him around like I did with you at dinner.”

“Thank the spirits I don’t have siblings.” She saw him smile slightly to himself.

“You might.”

He groaned and slouched his shoulders. “Yea, I really look forward to meeting my crazy sister, the Fire Princess.”

“She’s not that bad. And she’d get on your case about manners more than I would.”

“You talk about her like she’s your friend.” He looked down at her, disbelieving.

“I would call her my friend, and I’m proud to say that.” She looked back up at him and gave him a disarming smile. “Once you get to know her, you’ll feel the same way I do.”

“I highly doubt that.” He went back to his quiet sulking, leaning further onto the railing.

“The Avatar always says you can’t hate something you’ve never tried.” She told him. “Its usually in the context of food, but it applies to a lot of different things. Give it all a good old fashioned ‘try’ and see how it goes. You might hate meditating and your presumptive family now, but stick with it and see where all of this goes. You can’t make up your mind after one day.”

“Thanks.” He sounded surprisingly sincere. “I will.”

“You know,” she continued, “if you want, I could try and teach you some courtly manners. I’ve been around the Fire Lord and Fire Princess enough to see how they act, and I’ve been to a good deal of international functions in the Earth Kingdom after the war ended. Maybe I could put my mothering to good use.”

“You’re not mothering.”

“It was a joke, Lee.”

“Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, maybe it could work. I don’t want to get there and insult royalty, even if they are Fire Nation.”

“I won’t go that hard on you.” She promised. “Do you know how to write?”

“Yes.” He replied tersely, bristling defensively at her comment.

“I didn’t mean it as an insult.” She put up her hands to gesture her innocence. “They’ll have tutors at the palace to teach you how to write properly, but I’ve taken a few calligraphy lessons too if you want help with that.”

“How do you write wrong?” He asked, bemused.

“When you’re nobility, you have to write with perfect, neat brushstrokes. Not like us peasants, who write things quickly because we have better things to do.”

He smiled a little before looking back out over the water. “Leaning calligraphy in a palace…life takes a lot of twists and turns.”

“It does. I had no idea that I’d be here five years ago, let alone that the war would even end. And now…” She gestured back to the Fire Nation ship they were sailing on.

“The last time I was on a Fire Nation ship, I blew it up.” He hadn’t meant it to be a joke, but she couldn’t contain a fit of giggles.

“I guess I’d better not show you around the engine room.” She teased back once she could talk again, the light joke seeming to put him at ease.

“You don’t need to be in the engine room.” He slyly replied. “I blew it up from the bridge.”

“Please don’t do it a second time. I like this ship.”

“I won’t. Not if you like it that much.” He coughed a little into his hand. “I mean, we’d probably both drown if I did that, anyway.”

“Maybe you all would, but that’s one perk of being a waterbender: drowning me is a lot harder.” She pushed herself off of the railing. “I’m going to get some rest. You should too.”

“In a few minutes.” He responded, gazing longingly back out over the water. “This is really peaceful.”

“Sure.” She took a few steps back, letting him go. “Just don’t be late for prince training tomorrow.”

She saw the corner of his mouth tug upward into the slightest smile in the moonlight. “Ok.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. I have no idea how long this thing's gonna end up being (probably only like 5 chapters) or how regularly I can update it (as fast as I can come up with a plot), but if you like it and want more, let me know!
> 
> -nein


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